Esa Kaunistola
Director, Trade and Industrial Policy, European Government Affairs, Microsoft,
Esa Kaunistola is Director, Trade and Industrial Policy, European Government Affairs with Microsoft. He also leads transatlantic relations in Microsoft Brussels office.
Prior to joining Microsoft he was Director, Trade Policy and before that Director, Finance Legal, with Nokia Group where he also held other senior business and corporate legal counsel positions. He was also trained at the bench and acted as a Deputy District Judge in District Court of Raseborg.
He represents Microsoft and chairs and has chaired many trade and digital committees and policy groups in various industry organisations and trade associations, including Digitaleurope, Businesseurope, EK, Confederation of Finnish Industries, and Finnish Chamber of Commerce.
Mr Kaunistola graduated in Law (Juris magister) from the University of Helsinki. He holds a Master of Laws degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Featured work
Three data realms: Managing the divergence between the EU, the US and China in the digital sphere
How do major economies differ in their regulation of digital trade, and how can we best deal with the risks posed by diverging regulatory regimes?
Patents and royalties: stifling or promoting innovation in ICT?
The patent system is never out of the spotlight. Do patents achieve their ultimate goal of incentivising innovation, or actually stifle it? The debate